Pharmaceutical waste

The disposal of pharmaceuticals, which is unregulated, can be terribly harmful to any life form that uses the water source the drugs were dumped in. However, some drug companies have found a way to take drugs that have outlived their expiration date and make them into energy (http://www.gazetteextra.com/pillstopower072707.asp). By incinerating almost six and a half pounds of pills, a company in Milwaukee created enough electricity to power 220 homes for an entire year. When done correctly, the inceneration procces leads to the release of no emissions at all, but the blessing of the federal government, a necessary step for this form of energy to be approved, could take years. This alternate way of disposing of unwanted drugs is needed desperately, because studies have shown that flushing the pills down a toilet can lead to the pill being ingested by a wild animal, often with severe physical consequences. The failure to get rid of your drugs also provides an opportunity for abuse, as pills just laying around provide an easy way for addicts to get their fix (http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/). However, animals arent the only creatures consuming the drugs when you flush. Seeing as we get our water from natural sources, we are ingesting the drugs as well as the fish. The particles are too small for filters to catch, and they lead to excessive amounts of toxic materials in our drinking water. If you need to get rid of some pills, look online for safe deposit sites in your area. The fish will thank you.